Twitter was sent into a spin after one of the 16-year-old Derry Girls recently celebrated her 31st birthday.

Written by Maiden City native Lisa McGee, the Channel 4 comedy has earned widespread acclaim since hitting the small screen. Set in 1990s Derry it tells the story of four school friends attending at all-girl school who are lumbered with an English boy who is placed in their school in order to avoid the - possible - recriminations had he gone instead to the all-boys school.

There was incredulity - and praise for her acting skills - for Nicola Coughlan on social media when one user realised just how old she really was.

Originally From Galway, Nicola plays the baby-faced Claire. She celebrated her birthday last week - her 31st making her the oldest of the five teenage characters.

"It's the rain," one Twitter user suggested while others questioned if the show was actually filmed in the 1990s - when it's set - given their disbelief of her age.